Clue: Smallville Style
by MegEl
Summary: Clark, Lois, Chloe, and Jimmy are invited to a Murder Mystery Weekend at the mysterious McKenzie Manor. However, not all of the murders they solve turn out to be fake. Clois and Chimmy. Reviews are always appreciated!
1. Invitations

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters of _Smallville_, nor am I in any way affiliated with the show or with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

NOTE: Set in the seventh season, sometime before "Traveler".

* * *

After finishing his chores and running errands, Clark went to check the mail, expecting the usual bills and junk mail. It was something he did every day, nothing out of the ordinary.

That is, until that fateful Tuesday afternoon, when he received an envelope with his name written on the front in fancy lettering. Curious, he tore it open, and found more of the fancy lettering, reading: _To Mr. Clark Kent: You are cordially invited to a Murder Mystery Weekend at McKenzie Manor starting this Friday evening. You will be expected to arrive by 6:00 pm sharp, and stay until Sunday afternoon. Costumes will be provided for the parts you and the other guests are expected to play. A great prize awaits whosoever can solve the mystery first._

Intrigued, and with nothing better to do since Lana had planned on spending the weekend with her aunt Nell, Clark returned inside and dialed the number provided to RSVP.

...

Meanwhile, standing outside her apartment with her arms full of groceries, Lois struggled to find her keys in the black hole of her purse.

"Why is it," she wondered aloud, "that whatever I need ends up at the bottom of my purse?"

When she finally found her keys, particularly the key that would let her into her apartment, she fitted it into the lock and opened the door, nearly stepping on a couple of envelopes on her way in.

She set the bags on the kitchen island, then bent to pick up the envelopes, which had obviously been slid under the door at some point in the day. Tearing open the envelope that bore her name, she found an invitation addressed to "Ms. Lois Lane" for a "Murder Mystery Weekend", whatever the hell that was.

Just then, the rustling of paper invaded her ears, and she turned to see her cousin Chloe standing in the doorway of the apartment they shared, carrying the last of the groceries.

Lois quickly set aside the invitation and rushed to help Chloe, and as they were putting away the groceries, Chloe noticed the other envelope that had arrived, the one addressed to her.

"What's this," she asked her cousin, picking up the foreign piece of mail.

"Oh, it's probably an invitation. I got one, too." Lois indicated the envelope hers had arrived in.

Chloe cautiously opened the envelope, as if afraid it contained anthrax, but once she actually read over the invitation, relief spread over her body and her lips curved into a smile.

"Well, I now know what I'm doing this weekend," Chloe cheerfully declared, setting aside the invitation in favor of resuming with unpacking the groceries. "So, what do you say, cuz? Will you be joining me?"

"I don't know," Lois dubiously replied. "Isn't that where a bunch of people get together to solve some fake murder and then go home? I mean, what's the point?"

"Oh, come on, Lois, it'll be fun. You get to dress up and get into character, and solve a mystery while you're at it. Besides, it's not like you have anything better to do this weekend."

Lois agreed, albeit reluctantly, and as soon as they finished putting away the last of the groceries, Chloe called the number on the invitation and RSVP'd for the both of them.

As soon as she hung up, Chloe beamed at her cousin in excitement, and promised, "You'll have tons of fun, Lois, you'll see. Just you wait."

"I certainly hope so," was Lois's reply.


	2. Highway of Hell

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters of _Smallville_, nor am I in any way affiliated with the show or with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster.

NOTE: Set in the seventh season, sometime before "Traveler".

* * *

"Wow! Is this awesome or what," Jimmy exclaimed to his companions as he stepped into the foyer of McKenzie Manor and surveyed his surroundings.

He set down his and Chloe's bags, while next to him, Chloe balled up the newspaper she had been using as an umbrella and wrung out her watered down hair. Bringing up the rear was an unhappy Lois, who held Clark's familiar red jacket over her head, and an even unhappier Clark, who was completely drenched and had been forced to carry both his and Lois's luggage inside.

Dropping the bags, Clark glared angrily at Lois, who stared right back. By the way they held each others' gaze, Chloe half-expected them to be bickering telepathically.

The pair's discontent with each other had started even before the drive up, and had only gotten worse as the day progressed.

_Earlier that day..._

When it had been discovered that the four of them had each received an invitation, they had unanimously decided to carpool for the weekend, with Clark appointed the reluctant driver after having been volunteered by Lois. So, when Friday afternoon arrived, Clark supersped through the rest of his chores and finished packing, before kissing Lana goodbye and driving to the Talon to pick up Chloe and Lois.

After honking the horn a few times, he went inside to investigate, only to find Chloe, apparently changed out of her work clothes, casually reading today's newspaper and sipping a mug of tea, and Lois nowhere to be seen.

"Where's Lois," he inquired of his friend, glancing frantically around the apartment. Chloe merely pointed at the bathroom door, just as Lois emerged, garbed only in a towel.

"Lo-is!" He approached her, but the honey-haired beauty took no notice. "Why aren't you ready yet?"

"Relax, Smallville," she replied. "I'm already packed. I just had to take a shower 'cause this story I was chasing led to a very _sticky_ dead end. Now, if you'll excuse me, I have to finish getting ready."

Grabbing a change of clothes, Lois shot him a look and headed back into the bathroom, while Clark spun around and exchanged an exasperated look with Chloe, who shrugged innocently in response. Within minutes, however, Lois emerged again, this time fully-clothed, and quickly pulled on her socks and shoes.

Piling into Clark's pickup, the trio headed to Metropolis, where they found Jimmy waiting outside his apartment building. After Clark helped Jimmy pile his bags into the truck bed with the others', they were on their way. That is, until Lois insisted on stopping to use the restroom.

"Why didn't you go before we left Smallville," Clark asked her, exasperated, as he pulled into a gas station.

"Because I didn't have to go then," was her simple reply as she and Chloe hopped out of the vehicle and headed inside. Clark rolled his eyes skyward, before trying to make small talk with Jimmy. Moments later, the girls returned, their arms laden with plastic bags full of snacks and sodas.

"Did you guys clean them out of junk food," Clark asked, as the girls climbed back in.

Shooting him a sarcastic smile, Lois settled into the front seat beside Clark, before taking a soda out of one of the bags and thrusting it into Clark's hands. When he saw that it was his favorite, he smiled and thanked her for remembering.

"No problem," she replied, returning the smile while putting on her seat belt.

After taking a sip of his soda and setting it in one of the cupholders, he buckled his own seat belt and shifted gears, then the four companions found themselves back on the road.

As they continued to make their way to McKenzie Manor, Lois noticed dark clouds forming on the horizon, and turned on the radio to check out the weather forecast. After the announcer confirmed her suspicions for impending rain, she surfed around until she found a radio station she could stand.

_I need a hero, I'm holding out for a hero till the end of the night..._

Lois started singing along to the Bonnie Tyler hit that was playing, earning a glare from Clark, who promptly flipped it over to a country station that happened to be in the middle of a Kenny Chesney song.

"'She thinks my tractor's sexy'?" Lois asked, stifling a laugh. "Look, whatever you and Lana do behind closed doors is your business," which earned her another glare.

She leaned over and changed the station back, then after about two seconds, Clark changed it once again. From there, it escalated into a war over the radio, until Chloe, having had enough, finally suggested they ride in silence.

"Fine by me," they replied simultaneously. Clark glanced over at Lois, then returned his eyes to the road and sighed, shaking his head slightly.

However, after a minute or two of staring out the window, Lois took a map out of the glove box and posed the question, "Smallville, are you sure we're on the right road?"

"Yes, Lois," Clark answered, trying to keep the annoyance out of his voice. "I checked the map before I went to pick up you and Chloe, then Jimmy and I double-checked while we were stopped at the gas station."

She studied the map for a moment, before, "Oh. Well, in that case, I think our exit's coming up."

As they approached their exit a minute later, Clark signaled to get over, and Lois practically jumped out of her seat.

"Smallville, what are you doing?! Don't take this exit!"

"Lois, it's the exit we need," he argued, but did as he was told. "Great, now we missed our exit."

While Lois explained that he should take the exit after the next one, and insisted that he could trust her navigation, Clark argued that her route would force them to double back.

"Um, guys?" Chloe pointed out a sign directing them to Wichita, which was in another direction than McKenzie Manor.

"Great, Lois. Thanks to your directions, we're now lost."

"We're not lost," Lois retorted. "We're just in a different direction than we should be. Besides, I'm not the one that got us all turned around."

"Lois, how could you possibly think this is my fault?"

"Because, Smallville, you're the one driving, and you didn't take that exit like I told you."

As they continued to bicker, Chloe leaned back and sighed, having given up trying to get them to stop.

Jimmy leaned over and muttered his two cents, "Did we miss a wedding, 'cause these two are fighting like an old married couple." Chloe simply nodded in agreement.

Clark eventually got them back on track, just as it started to rain. By the time they reached McKenzie Manor, it was cats and dogs.

...

Now, the four friends stood in the foyer, each of them trying to shake off the outside weather.

"Good evening." A thin, drawn man in a Jeeves-esque outfit greeted them, seeming to have appeared out of thin air. "Ms. Sullivan, Mr Olsen. Ms. Lane, Mr. Kent."

He bowed to each of them as he said their names, and added, "You're just in time. All the other guests have arrived, but if you'll just follow me, you can get settled in."

He directed them to a grand staircase on their left, and led them upstairs to their rooms. As he showed them Jimmy and Chloe's adjoining rooms, he informed them that they were expected to be dressed and downstairs for dinner in half an hour, and explained that they would find their costumes hanging in an armoire in each of their rooms.

Beckoning for Lois and Clark to follow, he led them to their rooms, which were also adjoining, a fact Lois found unacceptable.

"Uh, I don't mean to seem ungrateful or anything, but is there any possible way he and I can get rooms that are, well, not adjoining?"

The butler merely stared at her, before heading back downstairs.

"Oh...kay. I'll take that as a no," Lois muttered to herself.

He stopped long enough to add, "If you need anything, just ring the bell."

As soon as he left, Lois turned to Clark and told him, "All I can say, Smallville, is if you need anything...knock first. We don't want a repeat of when you walked in on me while I was in the shower."

Instead of arguing, Clark sighed and quietly predicted, "This is going to be a long weekend."


	3. Dinner is Served

DISCLAIMER: I don't own the characters of _Smallville_, nor am I in any way affiliated with the show or with Jerry Siegel and Joe Shuster. This piece of fiction is purely for entertainment purposes.

NOTE: Set in the seventh season, sometime before "Traveler".

A/N: I've had this chapter finished for a while, but I was wanting to wait until I finished chapter four to post it since the two chapters actually kinda go together (plus, this chapter is kinda short, for which I apologize). However, since I've been busy with a couple of other fan fictions, notably **The Morning After** and **The Beast Within, Part II**, I've decided to just go ahead and let y'all read it. So, please, enjoy! :)

* * *

"What's taking the girls so long?" queried Clark, messing with his bowtie.

He had been relieved to find that the mens' costumes consisted of tuxedos in the older style, but that didn't keep him from feeling ridiculous as he and Jimmy waited at the foot of the grand staircase for Lois and Chloe to finish getting their costumes on.

"You know women, C.K.," Jimmy replied with a smile. "They just take longer to get ready."

"What was that, Mr. Olsen?" came a flirty, feminine voice from behind them.

They turned to see Chloe standing on the stairs, one hand resting on the rail. She wore a yellow, fringed flapper dress, a matching headband, a long strand of white beads, and matching high-heels, with a canary-yellow feather boa wrapped around her shoulders, completing the ensemble.

"Wow, Chloe," Jimmy said, staring up at her in awe. "You look...amazing."

"Thank you." She smiled, blushing a little at the compliment. She continued down the stairs, towards the pair of tuxedoed men. "You don't look half bad yourself, Jimmy."

She accepted his proffered arm, before turning and informing Clark that Lois would be right down. Just as she finished telling him so, another feminine voice audibly cleared her throat.

Roving his eyes up the staircase, Clark looked from red heels to well-defined legs that were covered to mid-thigh in fishnet stockings. From there, he took in the sight of the crimson-fringed flapper dress that clung to Lois's shapely form, the strand of black beads that hung from her neck, and the black and crimson feather boa draped around her shoulders. His gaze then traveled to the scarlet feather sticking out of her headband, before finally settling on her crimson-lipped face.

"Um, Lois...uh..." Clark swallowed, suddenly finding it very hard to talk, as all thoughts of their drive up that afternoon seemed to vanish from his titanium trap of a memory.

Observing this, Jimmy and Chloe exchanged knowing smirks, an exchange that went unnoticed by Clark.

"Well, what are you all staring at," Lois asked, descending the stairs. "It's dinner time, and I'm starving. Let's go."

_Good ol' Lois_, thought Clark, smiling and shaking his head.

"Shall we, milady," Jimmy asked Chloe, grinning broadly.

"We shall," she replied, smiling and giving a nod of her head. With that, they headed towards the dining room, arm in arm.

Clark watched the couple leave, then glanced awkwardly at Lois.

"Lois, would you... I mean, should we..." he began, unsure how to ask his question. "Lois, would you...do me the honor of...being my date?"

Softening a little, Lois smiled, and replied, "Once again, chivalry noted. Sure, Smallville. I'll be your date."

Joining arms with his, Lois added, "But no funny business, alright? And hands where I can see 'em."

Suddenly, the events of that afternoon came rushing back to him, as he escorted Lois to the dining room, where they noticed the other guests for the first time since arriving.

Noticing the various name cards arranged around the table, Lois and Clark took their seats, which were situated directly across from Chloe and Jimmy. As soon as they sat down, all the guests were served dinner, which consisted of several fancy gourmet dishes that none of the friends seemed to know the names of.

About an hour later, when everyone had had their fill, their host, an attractive man in his mid- to late twenties, stood at the head of the table and addressed his guests.

"Good evening, ladies and gentlemen," he began. "Thank you all for coming. Now, for those that don't know me, I am Matthew Morgan McKenzie, owner of McKenzie Manor. Soon, you will all receive a character card that will explain the roles you are to play in this weekend's story. Then, we will adjourn to the lounge and the games will begin."

He then briefly went over the rules of the game, and when he was done, everyone received a small envelope with their name on it. Inside each envelope was a card that gave a short character bio as it related to the story.

"Apparently, I'm Ms. Ivory," Chloe announced excitedly to her companions, "engaged to 'decorated war hero Sgt. Saffron'."

"And I'm Sgt. Saffron," Jimmy declared, beaming. He and Chloe then shared a brief kiss.

"I'm Ms. Crimson," Lois informed them, less than impressed. "And apparently, I'm 'secretly dating the dashing Mr. Emerald'. Hmm, wonder which one he is," she added, looking around the table with mild interest.

"Um," Clark hesitantly spoke up, opening his own envelope, "that would be me."

"Ah, crap," was her disappointed response.

TO BE CONTINUED...


End file.
